I got this in a fall sampler and set it aside because it struck me as more of Christmas scent than a fall scent. In my cold sniff thoughts back in my haul post I said this was an orange scent but as I melted it, it was so much more. I actually thought it was an apple mix for a while. You get the sort of zest note from the oranges, and there is spice but not harsh. Interesting that there is anise listed. I would never have known that just by smelling it but I think that's what gives that slight spicy note, almost like a hint of spiced gumdrops. This is bright, but warm, if you can imagine that.

I melted this entire 1 oz. tart in my tea light warmer and had medium-strong scent with decent throw. The area around the warmer is awesomely strong, and it tapers off somewhat in adjacent rooms.

I really wish there was more to the description of this because I'm going to be struggling to describe it. It did seem like a Christmas-y scent, and it does seem like there might be very slight hints of mint and pine, but it's a 'moist' type scent. I knew there had to be something fruity in there because there is a bright, sweet, juicy hint to this. I would have guessed orange, but seeing lemon and tangerine listed totally makes sense. Maybe there is a hint of eucalyptus instead of what I think is mint/pine? Whatever is all going on in here, it's nice if you like those sort of outdoorsy 'air' scents.

I melted this entire 1+ oz. tart in my tea light warmer and was pleased to find it had a nice strong scent. I've had iffy luck with CFTKR lately but decided to go ahead and give this a try. The strength of this has renewed my hopes for the other CFTKR winter scents I have!

I don't think I'd order this scent again because I like the more warm and cozy types, but it was very nice for a one time thing.

Friday, November 29, 2013

The day after Thanksgiving and I have very happily switched to my Christmas/winter scents. First up is this Candy Cane Forest tart, mainly because I've been anxious to see how these tarts from Bertie's Umbrella perform. This is such a fun and festive scent, perfect to kick off the season. The peppermint is crisp and cool but toned down just a bit by the sweetness of the other notes. The marshmallow in this is not nearly the delicious sweet and gooey kind Front Porch's marshmallow scent is. No, this one has that very slight weird note. Not enough to ruin anything, but just not as good as other more yummy marshmallows. Mint is still the predominant note in here.

I melted this entire 1 oz. tart in my tea light warmer and had a nice medium-strong scent in the area of the warmer. The throw was not very strong on this. I did pick up light traces of this in one adjacent room, but overall the main scent was only closest to the warmer. Since this was a 4-pack, next time I might just melt a couple in different rooms.

For my first experience with this vendor, I was a bit disappointed in the scent strength but I would not consider this a dud. I'm still looking forward to seeing how the other scents perform.

Monday, November 25, 2013

I had this one last year and loved it so much I knew I had to get it again for Thanksgiving-time this year. I still love this! It reminds me of a pumpkin scent, which makes me wonder if pumpkins and yams really do smell alike? LOL Anyway, this is a warm and creamy fall bakery scent, very inviting and comforting on these colder days. The main note is that pumpkin-type yam scent. The spice is very soft, just enough to add some warmth. The buttery crust note is there in the background, and then there is an all-around creaminess to it. Soooo good for these days close to Thanksgiving.

I first tried melting just half of this tart, which would have been about .7 oz. worth. I've been having good luck with lesser amounts of wax, and I remembered this one being very strong last year. Melting half of the tart in my tea light warmer got me a medium scent but a good strong throw. I could actually smell this better in other rooms than in the area around my warmer. The next time I melted it, I added the other half so I was now melting the full tart. This also gave me a medium scent in the area of my warmer but that strong throw gave a nice strong scent in the next room. (It's also a very cold and windy day and my drafty old farmhouse might be causing the scent to drift.)

Sunday, November 24, 2013

This Spiced Cranberries scent from Scentsationals is the one I picked up on our trip to Minnesota last month and ohhhhh my, I am so glad I decided to get it. This is the type of cranberry scent that I love, the type that screams "Thanksgiving!" to me. It's a tart cranberry scent, yet there is sweetness. The spice is soft and warm. This scent reminds me slightly of Glogg (mulled wine), and I love it. I'm holding onto my last two cubes of this so I can melt them on Thanksgiving day.

Melting two cubes of this in my tea light warmer, I had the usual strong scent and throw that Scentsationals is reliable for. The scent lasts and lasts, reached all corners of the house on some level, and even lingered after the tea light had gone out and the wax had cooled.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

'Nine years after Jesse and Celine first met, they encounter each other again on the French leg of Jesse's book tour.'

Having just watched the first movie in this series the other day and absolutely loving it, I was so excited to get this one from Netflix in the mail today. I had to watch it immediately. Unfortunately, I didn't like this one nearly as much as the first.

When the first movie ended, Jesse and Celine had made a deal to meet again in six months. They hadn't exchanged phone numbers or addresses or anything because even though they were totally hooked on each other at that point, they didn't want to attempt a long distance relationship and have it fail. So that movie ended with the viewer wondering if they'd stuck to their plan and met again.

This second movie starts with Jesse, now a successful author, doing an appearance at a book shop in France. You quickly figure out that the book he's written is about that time he spent with Celine. The few people at the signing keep asking him if the girl in the book is real, and if the couple in the book ever meets again. He keeps avoiding giving them straight answers, so we start out STILL wondering if they ever met up after six months. While he's talking, he notices Celine standing off to the side, and he gets rather flustered. The book signing comes to an end right about then, he goes to talk to her, and this is where the story really picks up again.

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

*

* * * *

Pretty early in their conversation, we find out that no, they did not meet up like they'd promised to. We also find out that one of them WAS there, and we find out why the other was not. Jesse only has a little bit of time before he has to be at the airport (like an hour or two, I think?) but they decide to go for coffee and talk, get caught up on how life has been treating them all these years. Jesse is married with a young son now. Celine has been through several relationships and is currently involved with someone.

While there were a few small parts that I really liked in this movie, overall it was a bit of a let down. I didn't really like Celine this time. I liked Jesse's side of things but not really Ethan Hawke in particular. Actually, they both looked pretty rough this time around. Obviously they would look older since it's been nine years, but they both looked *a lot* older, and both looked really thin. I couldn't get away from Ethan Hawke's teeth. Doh! Jesse and Celine seemed too comfortable too fast with each other. There was an emotional scene where Celine spilled her angry and hurt feelings and blamed Jesse for all of her failed relationships. Jesse's story was kind of sad too but it was Celine's anger that really brought the "What if..."s to life.

There were some quickie flashbacks early in the movie, while Jesse was talking at the book signing, and it reminded me how young and cute they both were back then, and how much I really enjoyed them getting to know each other. And while I didn't like this movie nearly as much as that first one, I'm still glad I've seen it and am still looking forward to the next one, which Netflix will hopefully get to me next week.

This one had a hint of that 'smoke' note that I just don't like, and it's weird because there is nothing smoke-like in the scent description. Maybe it was the spices then? If so, it was not anything sweet and warm like cinnamon. I got very faint traces of what might have been the apple note, and sometimes thought I got a light cookie note, but overall the scent was so light that I didn't get much of anything. I was turned off by what little I got anyway because of that smoke/spice note.

I melted this whole 1+ oz. tart in my tea light warmer and, as mentioned, had only very light scent with barely any throw. Once in a great while I would get a stronger whiff if someone walked by or the air was stirred up. Since I didn't care for this scent much, I guess being light was ok in the end . . . lol . . . but this is another light one and another reminder that I didn't have much luck with CFTKR last year and that's why I hadn't ever ordered again. I know bajillions of people love this vendor and have no complaints with scent strength, but I've not had much luck.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

'A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.'

I had never even heard of this movie before a recommendation forBefore Midnight popped up on Netflix. In reading the description for that, I discovered it was the third in a series of movies that checks in with these characters every nine years. Intrigued, I found the first two on Netflix and started from the beginning with this one, Before Sunrise.

I love these types of relationship study movies. I can easily see how a lot of people would hate it and be bored to death by it. There is no big action or high drama. There is no blood, guts, gore. There is no violence. We're so accustomed to all that stuff now that I found myself half on edge, waiting for something to happen. Ooooh, is that guy off to the side going to mug them? That type of thing. But no, nothing like that happens.

The description is pretty accurate, and pretty much all there is. We get to watch this relationship form right from the very start, when they first lay eyes on each other on the train, and watch as it grows through their hours of talking and getting to know each other in the less than 24 hours they spend together. Sometimes it was boring, even for me, and sometimes things seemed forced, but overall you start to really feel for these two. And you start to dread the approaching morning because they will be faced with saying goodbye.

I loved this part, especially Jesse's reaction to some things Celine was admitting. They were in a restaurant and pretending to call their best friends, as a way to say what they felt about each other without actually saying it to each other . . . although they *were* saying it to each other. Got that? So for example, Celine pretended to call her friend and explain why she'd be late getting home. Jesse had to pretend to be the friend. So it was along the lines of . . .

Celine - "I met a guy on the train and spent the day with him."
Jesse as the friend on the phone - "What?! Are you crazy?"
Celine - "Probably."
Jesse as friend - "Soooo? How was it?"

. . . and then Celine starts talking about it all. Then they 'hung up' and Jesse had to call his best friend, with Celine posing as that friend. It was so funny when she answered with a "Dude! Whassup?" type guy thing.

Part of what I liked about this movie is that these two people did what I would love to be able to do but am too paranoid, shy, and chicken. They spent the whole day wandering around a city they weren't familiar with and just went to different places that they came across, did what they felt like doing, talked to people, and enjoyed themselves taking in the beauty of Vienna. I can't even walk five blocks in Minneapolis without my stress level skyrocketing. LOL!

Eventually the morning comes and Jesse has to catch his flight back to America. Even knowing it was coming, I was caught off guard by the emotions and, yeah, I burst into tears. When this movie was new, the ending must have been so stressful for viewers because even though Jesse and Celine made a deal, the viewer was left wondering if they would ever go through with it and how things would turn out. Luckily (?) I already know how it turns out because I know there are two more movies after this. Ohhhh wait, now that I think about it, maybe I don't know how it turns out in the long run?! DOH!!! I just assumed that because the movies followup with them that they were happily together. Ooooh, what if they meet over the years but it's a scandalous ongoing cheating affair? Oooooh, I better go re-read the descriptions! LOL! Regardless, I have the second one coming next from Netflix.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

I'd never even heard of Bertie's Umbrella before blog reader Tanja mentioned it in a comment left on one of my posts. Since it is an Etsy shop, of course I had to check it out. I had not been looking to order anything but something sucked me in and yes, I did place a small order. I'm not usually a fan of multi-pack tarts, especially when first trying a new shop, but after some Etsy conversation with owner Phoebe, and seeing some nice 'safe' Christmas scents, I decided to just go for it.

Candy Cane Forest - 'The Candy Cane Forest is a majestic place, just South of the North Pole. A delightful blend of peppermint candy canes, marshmallows and a hint of vanilla.Infused with peppermint essential oil.'

When I first noticed this one in the shop listings I thought there would be a hint of pine in the blend. Nope, just peppermint, marshmallows, and vanilla, according to the description. On cold sniff I'm mainly getting a strong peppermint scent, with an odd note of something in the background that might be from the marshmallow. I'm really curious how this will be when warmed. And it looks so yummy, like it's good enough to eat!

Christmas Cookies - 'A mouth watering combination of sweet buttery cookies with hints of ginger, fresh ground cinnamon, and sweet molasses, with just a pinch of vanilla and clove.'

This is the one that I could smell as soon as I opened the package, and the one that continues to scent the area as I have these sitting on my desk to do this post. By the name, I figured it would just be a general sugar cookies scent, maybe with a touch of mint. With things in the description like ginger and cinnamon and molasses, I wondered if it was supposed to be more like a gingerbread cookie, and decided I need to try it and find out. This is yummy! It is a gingerbread type smell and I'm totally ok with that! On cold sniff, it's not overly spicy. There is a familiar note, what some people might call sour, or like that note you get in cheesecake scents. When I sniff it again to try and pinpoint it, sometimes I think it's just the molasses. Whatever it is, I like this one.

I *love* vanilla-mint scents and will almost always go for Jack Frost, even though I tend to forget there is pine in it. Doh! On cold sniff, I don't get any pine in this one. I don't get a vanilla note either right now. It's just a straight up candy cane minty scent at the moment but again, that's ok because it's still very Christmas-y. Maybe the other notes will come out when warmed.

I also received a free tart in Chocolate Fudge scent, and a smaller 'sniffer sample' of Pumpkin Pie scent. These weren't individually wrapped or labeled, and look a little dinged up so I didn't bother with a pic of them. Love me some freebies though! (Thank you, Phoebe!!)

These are soy wax tarts, about 1 oz. each. A 4-pack sells for $4.00. Turn around time was fabulous! I placed my order Friday afternoon and had my package in Monday's mail!! That is freakin' awesome in my book and definitely earns mega points in my book. While the scent list is not nearly as huge as some of the big name vendors we're used to, there is enough variety that it should be easy for anyone to find something they like. Most of the scents (in just a quick browse) look quite common, but that's ok too because with the reasonable price and the lightning fast TAT this is a good place to stock up on 'staples.'

Bertie's Umbrella also has a variety of candles and even some soaps.

I am happy with my first experience with this shop. I will wait until after Thanksgiving Day to start melting these. Heck, that's only a bit over a week away. Scents on cold sniff are all quite strong so I'm hoping these are awesome performers when melted.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Glazed Cranberry Pumpkin (no scent description available) is such a yummy Thanksgiving time scent. Cranberry is the dominant note in here, tart and strong with just a hint of spice, but also sweetened and sugary. There is a very slight pumpkin note lurking in the background. Actually, the hint of spice might actually be the pumpkin, now that I think about it.

I melted two cubes in my tea light warmer and had wonderfully strong scent and throw. One of the things I love about BH&G tarts is that they are reliably strong. I could smell this easily throughout the house, and I know I can get multiple melts out of each two cube set that I use.

I really enjoyed this scent and if it's around again next year, I will be repurchasing!

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Cranberries Sprinkled with Sugar-'(In House Blend) Perfect combination of tart and sweet. Spicy Cranberries sprinkled with Just Sugar.'

I received two free 4-packs of this scent at the beginning of this year, as part of my uber holiday gift certificates order. I think I gifted some of them over the course of the year but I do have three of the singles left and now that Thanksgiving is just around the corner I went ahead and melted one.

I can't find a scent description for 'Just Sugar' on the Front Porch website so I don't know what that part of the blend actually consists of, but the scent overall is pretty frikken nice. It's definitely not as tart or spicy as a regular spiced cranberry scent so yeah, that mystery Sugar part is really sweetening it up. If I didn't know this was cranberry, I don't think I'd ever think that's what it was. I'd probably think it was some dark fruit, plums or something. There is something almost perfumey, but in a deep perfumey way. (Are those types called 'reds' or something?) I do wonder if there is a hint of musk in here. I really like this but it is not what I would think of for a fall or typical cranberry scent.

I melted this entire 1 oz. grubby tart in my tea light warmer and was a bit disappointed in the scent throw. My house has a mind of it's own when it comes to scent. Some just seem to drift everywhere but the room the warmer was in! I was only getting a light scent in the area of my warmer and was feeling all disappointed, but when I went into the next room to grab something I noticed it was significantly stronger there. And then a bit later I had to dash upstairs for something and it was really strong up there.

Friday, November 15, 2013

'A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.'

I really liked this movie. It had the creepy factor without the gore, although there were some moments that made me gag and cringe (like when she was eating raw meat). The girl in here, the main character (played by Natasha Calis) was awesome. And I loved the dad (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan). I loved the relationship he had with his daughters and ex-wife, even though it was strained.

This movie keeps a good pace. I liked that. There wasn't a lot of extra stuff to drag things out. It wasn't a complicated, bizarre plot. I suppose there are some things that weren't really explained but it didn't seem to matter in the end. The story just sucks you in and keeps moving and then the movie is done. Yes, it was left wide open for a sequel. I hope that doesn't happen though.

One random little side note . . . I loved the character 'Tzadok,' the guy the was willing to try a sort of exorcism on the girl. When I went to IMDB.com to see if I knew the actor from anything else, his name (Matisyahu) struck me as very familiar. It took me several minutes to realize that my son Casey has a cd of his from many years ago. I have noooooo idea how Casey ever became aware of him.

Anyway, a good movie if you want something scary without tons of gore and without fear of having nightmares for the next week. (Although what they saw during the MRI was pretty freakin' creeeeepy!)

This block tart in Blueberry Pumpkin Patch scent was the freebie in my October order from The Bathing Garden. There is no scent description available, but it seems like it would pretty basic . . . pumpkin and blueberry. What I got though, was a blueberry muffin scent. It was a really nice, warm and yummy blueberry muffin scent, so I'm not complaining, but I thought there would be a pumpkin note somewhere in there, and I never noticed anything pumpkin-y.

I chopped this block into four squares, and then melted one of those squares (about .6 oz.) in my tea light warmer. I got a wonderful medium-strong scent in the room the warmer is in, like a perfect amount to be very easily noticed but not so much that it was overpowering. The scent did carry into adjacent rooms on a slightly lighter level.

A great scent if you're looking for blueberry muffin, but if you're looking for a fall/pumpkin scent, this is not it.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

'With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.

Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she'll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.

In the highly anticipated sequel to Born Wicked, the Cahill Witch Chronicles continue Cate, Maura and Tess's quest to find love, protect family, and explore their magic against all odds in an alternate history of New England.'

*** MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

I really should have gone back and re-read the first book in this series, Born Wicked, before I read this one. I loved that first book (review HERE)and was so anxious for this one, but so much time has passed that I forgot so much. I think before the third book comes out next year I *will* make a point of going back and reading these first two again to keep the flow fresh in my mind.

Anyway, I was disappointed with this book. It was a fairly quick and easy read but might be because it seemed like nothing happened. This second installment of the series seemed like it could have just been a part of another larger story. It was like everything that happened was just groundwork for what's to come. Things that did happen seemed lacking and rushed. I don't know, it just seemed . . . flat.

There is a war brewing between the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood. Main character Cate and her beloved Finn are trying to keep their relationship going even though it puts both of them at risk because of their individual situations. Tensions between Cate and her sister Maura continue to rise. Battle lines are drawn. Secrets are revealed. But it all just seemed like 'Oh by the way . . . ' type information on our way to something bigger, something that never comes, at least not in this book.

Having said that, there were some interesting bits in this book. The whole idea of 'Can we change our destiny?' is always fascinating to me. When the oracle sees something disturbing and takes steps to change it, but it happens anyway, did she actually *create* the events to begin with? Or is like in Lost (best show ever) when the old lady said the universe is course correcting and will always get to what is intended? The other thing I liked . . . well, I didn't *like* it but, you know . . . was the end. I did not see that act of betrayal coming! Maybe I would have if I hadn't been bored by the story up to the point. Who knows? I'm really curious to see how that cliffhanger will be resolved! It was quite shocking and sad, but again, seemed rushed and so much emptier than it should have been.

Still, I did not hate this book. I'm very much looking forward to the next one because it seems, like I said, that this one was just laying groundwork for what's to come. Fingers crossed the next one is more in depth!

Fall On The Farm - 'Falling leaves on the farm from all the old trees, dropping in to the berry patches, apple trees, with a hint of mandarin, and cinnamon sticks.'

This actually strikes me as more of a Christmas scent than a fall scent. I'm starting to find that spiced orange might be the key to my favorite Christmas scents. Anyway, this is a really nice holiday scent, whether you decide that holiday is Thanksgiving or Christmas is up to you. There is a slight outdoorsy note, possibly something like light pine, and then the sweet and spicy fruit and cinnamon combo to make it both bright and warm. The spice is not heavy in this, so spice haters shouldn't shun this one. I don't really get berries or apples specifically but there is a sort of fruit juiciness hint to it overall. I really like this one.

After previously playing around with cutting tarts and melting smaller amounts to see how they'd do, I decided to go ahead and melt this entire 1.2 oz. tart in my tea light warmer. I got a medium-strong scent, with a medium throw. I could smell it very easily in the room my warmer is in, and lighter in one of the adjacent rooms.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

In my cold sniff thoughts from my haul post, I'd said this was heavy on the vanilla and that the apple was stronger than the pumpkin. Warmed however, this reminded me of A Thankful Harvest, from Better Homes & Gardens. One of my faves, by the way! There is a warmth and creaminess in here, very soft on the spice, and then that overall pumpkin-y scent. I don't think I'd ever pick out apples if I didn't know they were supposedly in here somewhere, but I guess there is a bit of sweetness that could be from that. A really nice, cozy fall scent!

Unfortunately, this was another one from CFTKR that was just too light. I did go ahead and cut this one in half, deciding to try melting a lesser amount (.6 oz.) in my tea light warmer to see how it would do. I'm thinking it would have been better to just do the whole tart. With just half, I had the occasional whiff of a good strong scent if someone walked by the warmer and stirred up the air, but in general there was only a very light scent and almost no throw.

An awesome scent that was just too light for me. (Again, maybe melting the whole tart would have produced a stronger scent and throw.)

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Sinister2012R, 110 minutes'A true-crime writer finds a cache of 8mm home movies films that suggest the murder he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose career dates back to the 1960s.'
Hubby and I watched this the other day and, well, we pretty much hated it. I was ready to just give up even before the halfway point. Hubby thought it was boring and not going anywhere, but he's more tolerant of movies and was willing to continue watching, so I continued too.

One thing I absolutely hate in movies or TV shows is when things are visually dark. Sometimes there needs to be darkness, I understand that, but when sooo much time is spent in the dark it just makes things frustrating for the viewer. This movie spends way too much time in the dark, and it does nothing for creating tension or fear.

Let me back up. The main character is a true-crime writer who hasn't had a successful book for ten years now. The subject of the book he is working on now is the murder of a family and it's one missing daughter. He moves his family into the house that family had lived in, but doesn't tell his family that part. While unpacking, he finds a box of old 8mm films and assumes it's family movies. What he finds is actually films of several other families being murdered. He becomes obsessed and haunted by this, trying to find out more about these other murders and seeing if they're connected.

And this is where the creepiness is supposed to come into it. He starts hearing noises in the house and is always going to investigate . . . in the dark. It's like every night is the same thing: watch the movies, hear the noises, go searching through the dark house. What is any of it accomplishing as far as the story? Nothing. It's just ooooh spooky things go bump in the night attempts at scaring the viewer. He does start to uncover some connections, like the creepy face he's discovered in each of the films, and that one child is missing from each family/murder scene. Things eventually become too intense for him and he takes his family and flees back home, to the house they previously lived in and luckily hadn't sold yet. But what he's uncovered in the other house doesn't seem to stay there. Ooooooh.

The acting in this movie was rather sucky. The wife, in particular, was highly annoying. Their son had unexplained 'night terrors' that seemed to serve no purpose but to have him show up in unexpected places for 'BOO!' type scare tactics. He'd already had these 'night terrors' in the past so you can't argue to me that it was in any way connected to the creepiness of the house. The daughter's fondness for painting on the walls served no real purpose either when there was only one of many creepy things that her parents ever noticed. And the main character's storyline was inconsistent in whether he really wanted to solve this or was just in it for the hoping of finding fame again. Well, we know the hope of finding fame again is what drove him, but at times it seemed they were trying to make him move beyond that only to swing it back to that in lame, forced arguments with his wife.

The very first old film, the one of the family being hanged, the one we kept seeing repeatedly throughout the movie, was indeed creepy and disturbing. The others were just 'Gee, how can we creatively kill this next family?' The grainy images of the the freaky face were creepy too. The rest of the movie was just a boring letdown.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Pilgrims Pie - '. . . a scrumptious, highly complex
accord beginning with top notes of pumpkin and lemon; with middle notes
of champagne, grapes, nutmeg, and smoked cinnamon; and rounded out with
base notes of vanilla, tea leaves, and hickory.'

I don't know what happened. In my cold sniff thoughts from my haul post, I liked this and said there was no weirdness from the hickory (among other things). When I melted this though, I freakin' hated it. I couldn't even let it go much more than an hour. The smoked wood note, the hickory, was pretty much all I got. You might already know that I'm not a fan of 'smoke' notes like in bonfire or fireside type scents, and I'm not a wood scent fan. I'm also iffy on tea scents, so if anything was making it past the overpowering smoked hickory notes it was probably the tea leaves, and it was all just yuck for me.

I melted this entire 1.1 oz. tart in my tea light warmer and had great scent strength and throw, which was a relief since my previous tart from CFTKR was way too light. Too bad I just couldn't stomach this particular scent. I let it go for at least an hour, hoping other notes would come through, but in the end I just had to blow out the tea light and get rid of this one. Bummer.

If you like the smoke-type scents, you might still like this one. They are just not for me.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

I already had a post about the Febreze winter scents ( HERE ) a week or so ago, but now I've actually bought some of the candles for myself and wanted to do more in-depth scent descriptions. The Febreze website is nowhere near as informative as the Glade site as far as scent notes, but I'll do my best.

Winter Frost - 'Choruses of fresh and woody fragrances harmonize, inspiring hearts to skip a beat from love and good cheer.'

I really reeeeally wish I had more of a description to work with on this one because I just can't pinpoint what it is I'm smelling. You usually think of a snowy or frosty or cold winter scent as having mint in it, or some pine, and an 'outdoorsy' note. On cold sniff, this doesn't have any of that. There might be a bit of mint in there, but it might be something like cinnamon or even anise that I'm getting. There is a slight hint of wood, maybe . . . ? It's all rather soft and muted right now on cold sniff. Hopefully it's easier to pick this scent apart when we burn this.

Glistening Pine - 'Embrace the wintry spirit of crisp mountain air as it collides with the clean scent of pine.'

Gotta have a pine scent for Christmas! As I said in the previous Glade post, sometimes pine scents just come across as household cleaner scents and not as anything making you think of a Christmas tree. This one is a really nice, rather basic, piney Christmas tree scent. A must have!

I think of cranberry as more of a Thanksgiving scent, so we might actually burn this one first, right on or around Thanksgiving day. It's a nice spiced cranberry scent, not heavy on the spice, and not too strong on the cider note. Really looking forward to this one. I know a couple others have been looking for a good cranberry scent too. You might want to try this!

There is also a Fluffy Vanilla scent, described as 'Cuddle up with this fresh take on vanilla. Sweet cream with just a touch of fruit carries you to corners of comfort,' but the mini candle version of it was sold out already at my store. I will grab it though if they ever restock them.

I have been very impressed with Febreze candles in the past. The one (or two?) that we've had have burned flawlessly and had awesomely strong scent and throw. So I was super excited to see these mini versions of the winter candles! These are 3.5 oz. and sell for $2.97 at Walmart. These smaller versions make it easier for us to work our way through several scents in a season and not have the clutter to stash back into our candle cabinet until next year.

These candles are found in the 'cleaning aisle' of the store, or in the case of the winter scents there is a huge center aisle kiosk near the front of the store. These are not the same as the other Febreze candles and melts that can be found over in the regular candle/wax section. I have not seen any seasonal scents in the Febreze things over there.

If you're looking for strongly scented, affordable candles to scent your home this holiday season, I do recommend trying the Febreze 'cleaning' aisle' candles!

We're not even to Thanksgiving yet, so I'm still melting fall scents like pumpkin and cranberry, but I had coupons so I went ahead and got the Glade winter candles. These will be tucked away in our little candle cupboard for a couple more weeks. I wanted to share them with you now though, in case you were wondering about them.

I already posted the actual scent descriptions and detailed notes taken from the Glade website in my other post about these, so in this post I will be a little more descriptive in what I think they actually smell like.

I got a package of this scent back when Glade first came out with the wax melts. It's the same scent now, just repackaged with a festive look. People have assumed this is just a boring vanilla scent. I saw one girl in a YouTube video absolutely swearing that "If anyone tries to tell me this is anything but vanilla, they're on something." Well, look at the description, people. There is way more to this than you probably think. It is a very 'safe' vanilla scent, but it's such a full bodied vanilla, deep and rich and creamy, with almost a sugar cookie type note about it. This is a delicious, warm and cozy scent!

Sparkling Spruce - 'The crisp fragrance of fresh-cut pine
needles, eucalyptus and fir join hints of lavender, cedar and fir for a
scent as magical as a thousand twinkling lights.'

Ahh, you can't have Christmas without a pine scent.Sometimes pine scents make me think of household cleaners and not Christmas trees, but this one gets it right. There is a hint of sweetness in this, and just a wee bit of eucalyptus poking through, but the bulk of the scent just screams 'Christmas tree!' to me, and I love that.

Ginger Bread Jingle - 'It’s that time of year again. Fill your
home with the delicious scent of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove paired with
hints of vanilla, maple and slowly roasting chestnuts.'

apple, pear, star anise

nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, muddled strawberry, acorn squash

roasted chestnut, vanilla milk, maplewood

(DOLLAR GENERAL EXCLUSIVE)

I already talked about this one a bit back when I stumbled across it at Dollar General. It's so funny because back at that time I'd described it as a coffee-ish scent, and really, there is no coffee anything in it. LOL! It smells like a rich, sweet gingerbread. There is not a lot of spice, just enough to warm it up, so spice haters have nothing to fear. I think maybe I do get a very slight hint of fruit but if you didn't know, you'd probably never guess. A yummy gingerbread scent! (And keep in mind, if you're looking for this one, it is a Dollar General exclusive.)

Frosted Berry Kiss - 'Holiday
cheer is in the air as hints of cranberry and blackberry join notes of
peppermint and pine. The warming scent of white cocoa is the perfect
addition to the party, like the welcoming knock from a chorus of
carolers.'

aromatic pine, crisp greens, peppermint

cranberry, blackberry

white cocoa

I've seen this one described as cherry cough syrup. I can see how people might think that, but I think it's much more, much better than that. This is an interesting one, hard to pinpoint and describe. I get a mix of pine and mint, but they're both softer versions, not so sharp and in your face as both of those can often be. There is a slight fruitiness, where I think the 'Cough syrup!' haters are getting their 'cherry' from but when you know there is cranberry, you can pick it out. This is a nice scent, and it does make me think of Christmas, but it's also something I think could easily be used any time of year.

Merry Maple Morning - 'Revel in the comfort of a special
holiday breakfast as notes of maple syrup, melted butter and vanilla
join the scent of red berry jam for a fragrance sure to tickle your
taste buds. Dig in!'

red berry jam, apple, melted butter, peach

cinnamon, coffee, maple syrup, french toast

creamy vanilla, caramel, powdered sugar, warm musks

(WALMART EXCLUSIVE)

This bugger is strong. This is the one scenting up the area, wherever I have these candles stashed. It's not really a Christmas scent, not even necessarily a winter scent, but it's such a warm and yummy foodie scent, right up my alley. Definitely maple-y and buttery, with sweet creamy notes from the caramel and vanilla, and just a touch of a coffee note. Looking at the description, and knowing there is musk, I can pick out faint traces of it if I really focus, but don't let the idea of musk scare you off. I don't get any specific fruity note, but maybe just a hint of sweet and bright from them. This is a great year-round scent for foodie scent loving types like myself.

I did not get the Apple Cinnamon Cheer candle because I keep hearing it's just the same apple-cinnamon scent they use in the fall (and all year?), and even if it's not, apple-cinnamon is a fall scent to me, not a winter/Christmas scent.

Also, I have not found the Sweet Holiday Treat (purple package) scent yet. I'm guessing it's going to be the Target exclusive, but the two times I've checked there so far, they haven't even started getting their Christmas things out yet. C'mon, Target! If anyone sees this scent anywhere, please let me know!

Hubby and I really enjoyed the Glade fall scented candles we had. All three we had required a bit of tending early on before an even burn was achieved, but they did correct themselves eventually, and we were impressed with the strength of the scent and throw. That's why I went ahead and got all of the winter scents. Well, *most* of the winter scents.

These are 4 oz. candles in heavy glass jars, and sell for $2.98 at Walmart. They can be found in the 'cleaning aisle' and I've also seen large displays in main aisles. You won't find these over in the regular candle/wax section. They are strongly scented and affordable, and there are always coupons for these online, making them an even better deal. I really do recommend these little guys!

*** Don't forget to enter my giveaway . . . HERE . . . for your chance to win four packs of the wax melt versions of some of these scents! ***

Saturday, November 9, 2013

I haven't done a giveaway in a long time. With the holidays approaching, and the fistful of coupons I had recently, I decided it was about time to do another! The lovely little prize package is FOUR packs of Glade wax melts in four of the new holiday scents. WOOT!!

Each pack is listed as 3.1 oz., and contains eight cubes (about .4 oz. each). Although there are seven scents in the 2013 winter lineup, only four of those are available in tart form, and I have one of each for one lucky winner.

Frosted Berry Kiss - 'Holiday
cheer is in the air as hints of cranberry and blackberry join notes of
peppermint and pine. The warming scent of white cocoa is the perfect
addition to the party, like the welcoming knock from a chorus of
carolers.'

Apple Cinnamon Cheer - 'Nothing
warms the soul quite like the inviting scent of hot apple cider,
vanilla and cream. Add a hint of nutmeg and clove for a fragrance with
just the right amount of holiday spirit.'

apple cider, mixed fruits, berries

nutmeg, cinnamon, clove

vanilla, cream, woods

-------------------------------------------

How awesome are those??? If you'd like to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below, telling me what you're most looking forward to this upcoming holiday season (whatever holiday you celebrate). That's it! Be sure to have some way for me to contact you, whether it's an email addy left in the comment, or through your Blogger account, or something. If I can't contact you, your name will not be entered.

This giveaway will close sometime on Friday, Nov. 15, 2013 (probably in the afternoon) and I will use Random.org to select one winner.

Family Gathering - 'Warm, buttery baked spicy fruity scent
that reminds you of all the bakery at a family gathering. This scent has
top notes of mulled fruit and spice-berry blended with apple cinnamon,
then topped with sweet clove and vanilla.'

In my cold sniff notes from my haul post, I had said this was sort of a berries and cream scent with hints of cider and spice. When this was melted and warm it reminded me of a sugar cookie scent mixed with berries and cream, and then that wee bit of cider and spice only popped up now and then. This is a gentle scent, safe, nothing too spicy or inyerface about it. It's also not a favorite of mine.

I melted this whole 1.1 oz. chunk in my tea light warmer and was disappointed to find only a light/medium scent and throw. This seemed to jog something in my memory that maybe I'd been disappointed in the strength of CFTKR's tarts last year too, my only other order. Maybe this is part of why I never seem to order from there? I remember giving most of my CFTKR tarts away in Christmas goodie bags last year. I'd even considered cutting this in half because I've been playing around with melting smaller amounts of different tarts lately and having pretty good luck, but in the end I'd decided to just throw this entire chunk into my warmer. Maybe the next one I try from this vendor *will* be cut in half, just to see how it does.

While berries and cream, or berry mousse fans might like this, it just was not a scent I'd ever order again, and the light throw sealed that deal. Bummer.

Friday, November 8, 2013

'Annabel and Lucas are faced with the challenge of raising his young nieces that were left alone in the forest for 5 years.... but how alone were they?'

I recently restarted our Netflix account and am now trying to catch up on movies I've wanted to see but missed. Hubby watched this on pay-per-view one day while I was at work, so I used this opportunity to see it myself. He'd said it freaked him out. He hadn't warned me I'd be bawling by the end!

The movie starts with news on a radio that some people at some office have been shot and one man is missing. We then hear a gunshot at the house the camera has been panning in on, and we see that the missing man and shooter is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau . . . aka Jamie Lannister from Game of Thrones. WOOT! Anyway, he takes his two small daughters and drives away frantically. I don't think we ever do hear why he shot these people but in the overall story, it's not really important. There is a car accident in the snowy hills and he ends up walking with his daughters through the woods until they come upon a seemingly abandoned cabin. Through a series of events, the girls end up alone here.

Back home, the shooter's brother Lucas (also played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) has never given up hope of finding his brother and nieces. One day the guys he's been paying to search for them come across the cabin . . . and the now feral girls. Lucas wins custody of the girls, and their reintroduction into society begins, along with the freakiness.

Early on, once the girls are found, there is some freaky creepy visual stuff. The girls look and act monstrous and possessed, and it's really . . . *shudders* As they spend more time in a normal world, the older girl becomes more normal again because she was old enough when this all began to have retained things from her previously normal life. The younger girl was only a baby, maybe a year old, and doesn't quite slip back to normal as easily.

I really liked Lucas in this, but never really warmed up to his girlfriend and reluctant 'stepmom' Annabel. Victoria, the older girl, just broke my heart in this movie. Younger girl Lilly did a couple times too but she's still somewhat freaky so you don't quite get as attached to her. Victoria though, is struggling against what she's come to know from her years in the wild, and the normal world she knew and wants to allow herself to re-embrace. At one point she decides not to sneak out with Lilly and visit 'Mama,' and both girls cry over this decision. Lilly doesn't understand, and doesn't have the vocabulary or social skills, so she's hitting her sister and crying "Victoria! Come! Mama!" and Victoria has her back to her, taking the hits, and crying herself as she stands by her decision. It was so heartbreaking!

There was plenty of weird and creepy stuff happening, and the whole story of who-what-why 'Mama' is was freaky, but there were so many touching and heart-breaking moments that I was surprised how much I cried in what I thought was just going to be a thriller!!!!

I'm not sure yet how I feel about the ending. When it didn't end where I was sure it was going to, I shifted gears and thought 'Oh, ok, it will end with [no spoilers here],' and while I still wouldn't have been as happy with that, I think I would have liked it more than how it did finally end. Although, when I stop and think about it all, maybe the way it ended IS the more powerful ending because some things were already lost to this world anyway.

There were a few things that weren't really explained to my satisfaction but I can be picky and anal about such things sometimes. LOL! This was a pretty good movie overall though, even though it was far from the simple scary flick I thought it would be.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Warm Autumn Welcome is my other fall favorite from Better Homes & Gardens, along with the previously reviewed A Thankful Harvest. This one is a little spicier than A Thankful Harvest though, reminding me more of a 'sweet pumpkin spice' scent I used to make soap in. It's still not as sharply spice as some of the other pumpkin scents I've had though. I want to say there is more of a cinnamon note for the spices, and not so much the nutmeg or whatever other spices pumpkin usually comes with. I could be totally way off in reality but that's what it seems like to me, having to do this with no scent description to guide me. It's a very nice pumpkin scent, but a bit more on the fresh side than a lot of the baker/pie type pumpkin scents I've had.

I melted two cubes of this in my tea light warmer and had amazing scent and throw. This could very easily be detected pretty much anywhere in the house, and the scent lingered well after the tea light had gone out and the wax cooled. Coming into the house from the chill of outside, having the warm notes of this being the first thing you notice when coming through the door, so soooo comforting.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

A Thankful Harvest was one of my absolute favorites last fall and I'm actually working my way through my second pack of it this year. (I had a leftover pack from last year.) When it comes to pumpkin scents, this is not as spicy as most tend to be. There IS still spice, but it's softer and this scent overall is more creamy and warm. I mentioned in my cold sniff notes that there are no bakery notes such as pie crust. Not sure what I was thinking, because there is something bakery in here. It doesn't scream 'Pumpkin pie!' at you though. This is a more buttery scent than some other pumpkins. And maybe there is more than just pumpkin in here?! Who knows, since Better Homes & Gardens doesn't use any scent descriptions. There might be sweet potato instead of pumpkin in this. Maybe there is squash? Brown Sugar? I just don't know, but I love it.

Melting two cubes in my tea light warmer, I had awesomely strong scent and throw, just the way I like it. While it did get to every corner of the house, it is not overpowering in a gaggy and fake scent way. It just adds a coziness and warmth to the house on these increasingly chillier pre-winter days.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

I was contacted by The Melting Fairy Wax Company to see if I'd like to be a part of their beta subscription box program. Of course I said 'Yes!' I'd never heard of this company before they invited me, and I really don't know much about them at this point. Their website explains this new program as 'Each month, The Melting Fairy will deliver 12 oz of premium scented wax right to your doorstep! You will receive 2 oz of wax in 5 scents of your choice (for a total of 10 oz), plus a bonus 2 oz custom blend monthly!' The scent list is limited at this early stage but even so, I had no problem finding five interesting choices for my first box. And I can't wait to see what the custom blends will be.

The first box will be in December. They're looking for early subscribers/beta testers right now to help move the process along. If you're at all interested, head over to their website and get yourself signed up for one of the limited beta slots! It is $10 (plus $4.50) shipping each month at this point.

I'm really looking forward to this! I have no idea what their tarts look like or anything. *excited*

Monday, November 4, 2013

'It has been five years since the disappearance of Katie and Hunter, and a
suburban family witness strange events in their neighborhood when a
woman and a mysterious child move in.'

Hubby and I watched this on Halloween night and ohhhhh what a waste of time it was. I don't know why I always give each new Paranormal Activity movie a chance when I know there is no way they'll live up to the first one. And this fourth one bombs on so many levels.
First of all, the story is just so weak. They're stretching things just to try and keep it all related to the first movie. In this one it focuses on the creepy activities of the new neighbor boy. Because of an unexplained accident involving the boy's mother, the creepy boy has to stay with this family. The teenage daughter and her boyfriend are always video chatting and when she tells the boyfriend about the creepy boy, he helps her set up all the computers and cameras in the house to keep recording 24/7, so they can try and see what the boy is up to at night. That right there is a rather weak reason to explain why cameras would be capturing all angles of the house. Then, in another weak attempt to keep things 'fresh' and 'new,' the boyfriend shows the kids how Xbox Kinect (I think?) can look really freaky with all the lights turned off, and this becomes one of the 'unique' views of paranormal activity. I will admit, the one creepy part of the whole movie did come in a scene with this weird night vision technique, but overall it just seemed lame.

Once again, there is too much time spent trying to build suspense by showing footage from different cameras throughout the house, and you're staring at every inch of the screen looking for any freaky thing and there just isn't anything. Then when there is something it's just things we've already seen a million times like a shadow across the doorway, or the door closing, or the cat spooking.

The non-acting was horrible in this one. In the effort to appear casual and normal, like they're not reciting lines, they come across as *too* forced-natural. Know what I mean? It was so annoying to see the daughter arguing with her parents about things that happened, and them not believing her, and she never even tried to show them the recordings to prove it. Or when the dad found the knife that the mom had 'lost,' yet she was only intent on arguing with the dad about nonsense other crap and showed no interest in 'Heyyyy, where did you say you found that?' even after the daughter had been trying to convince them of weirdness several times by now.

I figured out that Wyatt wasn't really Wyatt almost instantly. I don't know who Robbie was though, a demon in boy form? And what the heck is Katie's purpose in this whole story? We're four movies into this, each is somehow part of the ongoing story, but I really have no idea what that overall story is. I might need to Google or Wiki a summary.

There was just no point to this movie. Hubby didn't think it was quite as bad as I did but then again, he didn't think the first was nearly as awesome as I thought it was. I freakin' LOVED the first one!!! Some people just don't 'get' this type of scary movie, just like with The Blair Witch Project, but I loved them both. It's THAT type of scary of movie that I love, the little things you're not sure you saw, the mind-freak . . . not the blood and guts shock value gore that makes up most of the 'horror' genre these days.

So anyway, this movie sucked and I told hubby to not let me bother watching #5 if/when it ever comes out.

My review of the first Paranormal Activity can be seen . . . HERE.
My review of Paranormal Activity 2 can be seen . . . HERE.
My review of Paranormal Activity 3 can be seen . . . HERE.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Sometimes I *really* wish Better Homes & Gardens had some sort of scent description for their tarts, and this one is one of them that needs it. The picture on the label shows lots of flowers and plants, squash, gourds, pumpkin. You'd think this would be something outdoorsy, perhaps a bright pumpkin scent. But really it's something rich and heavy and very much like a bakery scent. The different times I was melting this, I kept thinking there was a slight sweet note, thought maybe cranberry trying to peek through, but then a stronger note would always overrule it and I'd be like 'What IS that? Almost seems like . . . meat?!' And sure enough, when I went back and checked my cold sniff notes from my haul post, I mentioned meat there too.

Meat?!

I'd also thought there was a sort of bread note lurking in there somewhere. Then I started to realize it's almost like the gross zucchini bread scent that I pretty much hate. Bleah! That's not the only note in this scent, but it's strong enough to kill it for me. I won't be finishing this pack, but if you like the zucchini bread type scents, you might like this one.

I melted two cubes in my tea light warmer and had a strong scent and throw. It easily reached all corners of the house. Unfortunately, I just didn't like this particular scent.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

I was going to save this candle for the Christmas season but since I was so excited about these new Avon candles I wanted to know how well this would perform so I would know if I wanted to place another order. Others asked me to do a test burn NOW because they were also wondering if they should place orders, so I went ahead and burned this.

I trimmed the wicks before lighting it, and then let it burn several hours the other night while hubby and I watched a movie and some TV. It burned nicely for the most part, only a fairly small strip along the edge that didn't quite melt. A bit of minor tending next time we burn it should take care of that.

The scent was on the light side on cold sniff, and didn't really grow much when warm. We could smell it very lightly in the living room, where we had the candle burning, and very faint traces could be detected occasionally in the next room. It's a really nice, sweet, soft mint scent . . . but it was just too light for me. In a small room like a bathroom, or maybe if you like light scents in the bedroom, this would be pretty nice.

In the end, I was not impressed enough with this to make me want to order any of the others in this Avon line. Maybe the other scents would be stronger, I don't know, but there are other candles out there that I know are strong and that I know I want more.

If anyone decides to go ahead and order, I'm super curious to hear what you get and how it works!

You just have to have a pumpkin pie scent sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving, and this is a great one. There are so many pumpkin blend scents at this time of year that they all start to blur together after a while, but a good ol' pumpkin pie scent is cozy and simple. This particular one has some deep spice but is not really harsh. You get the rich pumpkin filling, and a slight hint of crust. This is just a really nice, classic scent.

I melted two cubes in my tea light warmer and had a wonderfully strong scent and throw. All corners of the house had this homey scent on some level, always easily noticeable. I'd left the house for a while and when I stepped through the back door when I got back home I could immediately smell this. It was so warm and welcoming.